Some Aspects of the Palms of Madagascar?

84 PRINCIPES [Vor 36 Principes.36(2). 1992. pp. 84-93 Some Aspectsof the Palms of Madagascar?and Their Cultivation at the Parc de Tsimbazaza.Antananarivo Brersn AND DAVrD Du Puv AND VoARA ReNnnreNesoro Seruice d.esCultures, Jardin des Plantes, MNHN Paris; Legumes of Madagascar Project, RovatBotanicGardens'f:,Tuyl"7.-;;::r:::::,u"'""'nueetzootosique' In Madagascar's national botanical gar- when compared with the palm flora of den, the Parc Botanique et Zoologique de mainland Africa. There are I34 recog- Tsimbazaza (PBZT), a horticultural project nizedpalm speciesin Madagascar,of which based on the collection and cultivation of l2B are consideredto be endemic.At the the island's native palms has recently suc- generic level, endemism remains high: of cessfully completed its first phase. Prin- the 23 genera I4 are consideredendemic. cipal funding for the project was received In East Africa, by comparisonothere are from the World Wide Fund for Nature I I indigenouspalrn genera,none of which $/Wf). Although the focus was on Mad- are endemic. In Madagascar the palms agascar's rich endemic palm flora, prac- have diversified to fill a range of niches tical aspects of the project were seen as and habitats. Unexpectedly, among the an opportunity to offer general horticul- range of growth forms exhibited by Mal- tural training to the Parc staff. The rapid agasyspecies, there are no climbing palms. loss of native forest and the alarming rate Calamus, the most widespread climbing of'erosion and habitat degradation have palm genus,is representedby I very vari- stimulated a surge of international and local able speciesin East Africa which has not inferest in Madagascar, and a concern for been recorded from Madagascar. the conservation of the wealth of native plants and animals. The Parc is at the Easternand NorthernMoist forefront of this movement; under strong ForestDomains direction an exciting educational program The greatestdiversity in the native Mal- is emerging and the living collections of agasy palms is found in the moist forest native plants and animals are undergoing domainsof the east coastand the northerly reassessment and rehabilitation. With the Sambirano region. Tall solitary stemmed support of international grants and tech- palms are a feature of the canopy in the nical advice, the collections will be able to low to mid altitude (0-1,000 m) forests. play a major role in the education of the One such canopy palm with a robust crown Malagasy people, in the orientation of short- of pinnate leavesis Neodypsis lastelliana term tourist visitors and possibly in the er which may grow to between 15 to 20 m situ conservation of some of the more and is distinguishedby a thick rusty brown threatened species. indumentum on the crown shaft. In the The palms of the island were chosen as forest ofPerineto east ofAntananarivo and the focus for the cultivation project because accessibleto visitorso Ra,aenea,robustior they are recognized as forming a partic- is conspicuousdue to its large clusters of ularly rich and interesting group, especially brilliant red fruits. In this same resion the r9921 DU PUY ET AL.: PALMS OF MADAGASCAR mixed, mid-altitude forest canopy is bro- recently felled forest patch; the leavesare ken by the few remaining individuals of usedfor roofing small cabinsand dwellings. Beccariophoenixmadagascariensis, a In the denseshade on the forest floor and now rare emergent palm species. With in the understory, small single stemmedor equally limited distribution in an isolated clustering palrns represent the genera forest region can be found,Marojejya da- Dypsis.and,Neophloga. Of thesegenera, rianii which produces semi.erect, alrnost Dypsis pinnatifrons is a frequent palm in 'shuttle-cock', entire leaves forming a the mid-story layer especiallyin the forests which, until the crown is raised up on a around theBay of Antongil. It is a graceful, stocky trunk into the canopy, fills to almost slender palm with a clustering habit and a third with litter and debris falling from dark pinnate leaves, on whieh the leaflets the canopy above.This trapped litter seems are broad and unequal. In the understory to rot rapidly and the released minerals of the forest at Perinet Neophloga con' may supplement the palm's nutritional cinna forrns attractive small stands;mem- requirements; M. darianil is only known bers of the genusNeophloga usually have from an area of white sand which is prob- few leaveswhich are pinnate, divided into ably nutrient poor and seems to be con- narrow or broad segments.N. concinna stantly waterJogged.It is from similar iso- haspinnate leaves with numerous,fine leaf- latedmoist forest regionsalong the northern lets almost evenly arranged along the mid- east coast that two new monospecificpalm rib and the two terminal leaflets fused at genera have been collected: Lernurophoe- their base. hix, the red lemur palm (Dransfieldl99I) and Voanioala, the forest coconut (Drans- Westernand SouthernDry field 1989a); both generic names reflect ForestDomains the local Malagasy names used for these On the west coast, in some localities, pahns.Lemurophoenix halleuxii is a very the palms are a spectacular feature of the large tree palm; the long pinnate leaves landscape.In the savannah-likegrasslands arise from a crown shaft which is up to the endemicBismarckia nobilis, with blue 1.5 m long and covered in white wax. or green palmate leaves, forms dense Voanioala gerardii is a spectacularpalm stands. Clusters of arching Hyphaene co- in fruit. The fruits are ginger-red,arranged riacea are abundant on the outskirts of denselyon long pendulousinfructescences. these stands and also on the more fre- With increasingaltitude in the moist forest guently burnt and impoverished grass- domainsthe forest canopy height falls, and lands. Between the western Mangoky and the vegetation becomesmore tangled. In the Tsiribihina Rivers, Borassus mada- these conditionsthe most common palm is gasca,riensis palms mingle with the Bis- Neodypsisbaronii, a short, gracefulclus- rnorchia. These two palmate-leavedspe- tering palm, very similar in habit to Chry- cies may be distinguishedat a glance due salidocarpus lutescens,the yellow cane to the swollentrunks of the Borasszspalms. palm of lowlandand littoral conditions.The A secondendemic Borassus species,B. clustering habit is also displayedby mem- sambiranensis,occurs further north on bers of the genus Vonitra, some species the coastal plain of the Sambirano. Phoe- of which may also display dichotomously nix reclinata also occurs on these season- branched stems, such as V. fibrosa, the ally wet northern plains. In the western most widespreadspecies of the genus. Zo- deciduous forests the rohust and single- nitra palms may be frequent under moist stemmed Chry salidocarpus riuularis arrd forest conditionsnear streamsor small riv- the often clustering, variable C. mada- ers from sea-levelto 900 m altitude and gascariensis are frequent species.Chry- are often the only remaining plants in a salidoearpusonilohensis is prominent in PRINCIPES [Vor-.36 l. Malagasy people crowd the Parc on a national holiday. 2. Dypsis humbertii tar. angustifolia, a moist forest understory palm with tlpically undivided leaves. the shelteredgullies of the Isalo massif of country; they are known and used by the southern central Madagascargrowing with local people as a source of food or mate- the graceful Raaenea glauca. Scattered rials. The young leaves of Bismarckia stands of Rauenea xerophila, the most nobilis are usedfor roofing and their trunks drought tolerant of the Malagasy palms, for building. Beccariophoenix madagas- occur in the xerophytic vegetation of the cariensis is valued for its leaveswhich are south. The leaves of this palm are very used to weave hats. The tough leaves of stiff, the leaflets held in a steep V and Hyphaene coriacea are widely used for covered with a white waxv bloom. and the weavingmats, and copioussugary sap is trunk is obscured beneath the retained collected from its cut inflorescencesand fibrousleaf bases.Neodypsis decaryi, from rapidly fermented into a heady beer. The the southeast,is a striking palm due to the sparse,stiff leavesof Raaeneaxerophila strongtristichous arrangement of its leaves. are harvestedfor basket weavins. Vonitra This speciesis endemic to a small patch fbrosa and,V. utilis areimportant locally of forest transitional between the wet and for the fiber that is associatedwith the leaf the dry domains. sheaths. The longer fibers from Vonitra may be twisted into ropes and used in the Ethnobotanyof the NativePalms construction of small cabins, the shorter 'mats' Many of the native palms play an impor- fibers are used in small to pad or tant role in the rural economies of the shield the bare shoulders of porters car- r9921 DU PUY ET AL.: PALMSOF MADAGASCAR rying heavy loads slung from horizontally held poles. The narrow stems of some of the Dypsis and Phloga species are said to have been used to make blow pipes, their narrow straight stems providing a suitable form. Edible fruits are gathered from some palms, such as those of the Hyphaene, Phoenix and Borassu.s. The trunk of Rauenearobustior is rich in car- bohydrate and can be used as a source of sago.Palm hearts (the apical bud) of many native species,including Rauenea rnad(t- g asca.riensis and Chry salidoc arpu s mad- agascariensis, make a contribution to the diets of many rural people. Other palms are known to be poisonousor bitter. Mal- agasyforest peopleknow Ihat Orania produces poisonousseeds and bitter, poison- ous apical buds; the apical bud of Rauenea arnara is known to be edible but bitter. Raphia farinifera, the Raffia palm, is 'widespread,but only in secondary vegetation on the island; although it is thought to have been introduced to Madagascar with human settlement(Dransfield 19896), 3. The ravaged crown of a rare, mature Rauenea xerophila; the stiff grey leaves are cut for basket its fiber and fruits are widely usedthrough- weaving. out its distribution on the island.

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